With the recent announcement by Joni Mitchell that she has suffered with this psychosomatic issue for years, it is time once again to talk about echo-chambers, enabling communities and profiteers online and offline.

It's not that conspiracy theory profiteers are disappearing, far from it. Social media has made it easier than ever to make a straw man out of the 24 hour news cycle for those who believe in an all-encompassing conspiracy. Meanwhile, their friends and family trying to convince them otherwise has much the opposite effect.

Written by Derek Hawkins (Washington Post) A Florida woman who claimed the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax was sentenced Wednesday to five months in prison for … Continue reading Sandy Hook hoaxer gets prison time for threatening 6-year-old victim’s father

I know a fair amount about conspiracy theories. When I was growing up, my father would regularly allude to any number of possible culprits behind the assassination of President John … Continue reading Getting Specific: Founded and Unfounded Conspiracy Theories and Why it Matters Now.

By Brian Tashman (Right Wing Watch) In recent days a report from Washington D.C.’s Fox affiliate on the death of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich has dominated the conservative … Continue reading Fox’s Seth Rich Conspiracy Theory Falls Apart: ‘Investigator’ Admits He Has No Evidence

By JAMES DOUBEK (NPR) People are prank calling President Trump’s new office to report illegal “criminal aliens” — just not the type of “aliens” President Trump had in mind when he … Continue reading People Are Reporting Criminal (Space) Aliens To New ICE Hotline

Originally posted by Yahoo7 News Sham miracle healer Belle Gibson is touting the remarkable diet regime similar to the one she said cured her of a brain tumour but also … Continue reading Cancer faker Belle Gibson trumpets the miracle workings of a new herbal-fasting diet

David Bowie and Conspiracy Theories: In Memoriam

The recent death of David Bowie to cancer at age 69 shocked and saddened fans around the world. Social media exploded in spontaneous grief, and news stories and music videos flooded Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as fans around the world shared their memories and favorite songs from Bowie’s catalog. The news of his death continues to bring with it more news of posthumous honors, stories of his creativity (even in his last days), memories from famous performers and commentators, and spontaneous adoration.

I was a fan of all of Bowie’s weirdest excursions, especially the weird 1990s electronica and, of course, the all the other-worldly themes that recurred throughout his music (and film) career. He will be missed.

But this is articles is more about the legend behind them man than the man himself. Namely, some of the strange conspiracy theories surrounding the man born David Jones.

Those other-worldly, even ‘spacey‘ themes in David Bowie’s work seemed to have inspired quite a bit of speculation as to the exact nature of David Bowie’s potential relationship with extraterrestrial visitors. The internet abounds with blogs, forum posts and ‘alternative news‘ articles, the stuff of conspiracy theory bedrock, with jokes, innuendo, and accusations that the ‘Space Oddity’ and ‘Starman’ was Bowie himself. Alien Rock, a recent book written by Mark Luckman quotes German rock star Nina Hagen as saying “if you listen to Bowie’s song ‘Loving the Alien’ you will realize that he is actually the son of a starman and and Earth mother” Taken as a whole, these amount to an unintentional homage to the lyrical abilities, showmanship, and out-of-this-world persona that was Bowie .

It should not come as much of a surprise that Bowie would be the subject of such a conspiracy theory. Even with this in mind, the stronger current among UFOlogists and those who comment on all things UFO and alien is a sense of loss for one of their own. Bowie was alleged to have witnessed a UFO with ex-wife Angela in 1974, and discussed witnessing UFOs as a child. Alien Rock recounts several instances of Bowie and friends sighting UFOs, and instances in which David Bowie was said to be concerned that he was “being stalked by men from Mars.”

Illuminati Allegiance

If the UFOlogists and others who speculated that Bowie may be either an alien, at least, a contactee; well, they may be forgiven. Their specific view of reality includes both UFOs, Aliens, and a massive government cover-up.

For the conspiracy theorists that believe, however, in a global shadow government of power elites, they tend toward slander and downright outrages at anyone even remotely as famous and beloved as Bowie. The ‘Illuminati’ is that supposed secret governing body that rules everyone in secret and some who believe in such an organization believe Bowie to be a member.

Interestingly enough, not everyone ascribes to this concept. Conspiracists who claim that the Illuminati exists as a terrestrial world power may find no reason to suspect Bowie. There are, however, more than a few variations on the Illuminati myth, and those who claim that the Illuminati is run by alien overlords seem torn as to whether Bowie is a pawn in the game or releasing extraterrestrial secrets in rebellion. One faction that has already tried, convicted, and cast sentence upon David Bowie as a Satanic pawn of the Illuminati are a sub-section of extreme Fundamentalist Christians who, generally speaking, favor the Apocalyptic books of the Bible but also, perhaps most of all, the apocryphal Book of Enoch. To them, the Illuminati are Nephilim, fallen angels working on behalf of Satan, and everything David Bowie says, does, and wears is proof that he is in their vile pockets.

Satanic Mind Control

Just to be clear, you do not have to believe any of the following rubbish to call yourself a Christian, despite the fire and brimstone talk of these Latter-Day Social Media Prophets and Law Givers. Considering the vast number of Bible books and teachings, including the parables of Jesus, that these people ignore to go straight to Enochian fallen angel nonsense is more a testament to their lack of faith than anything else. This, however, is not their story, but the story of what they believe David Bowie was involved in. And, to hear it from them, Bowie was pretty much a badass.

The regular discussion of a ‘Satanic Agenda‘ plagues the rambling descriptions of Bowie’s Illuminati credentials. Claiming connection with Aleister Crowley, lyrics and quotes from David Bowie himself from the 1970s, using his own image as proof of his supposed secret wickedness. A phrase used by believers in the Satanic Illuminati is that these devil-worshipers keep their villainy “hidden in plain sight.” That is, unfortunately, arguing that the persona that David Bowie had in the 1970s wasn’t necessarily anything more than his conceptual artistry proving to be all too convincing to some.

The Obligatory Death Hoax

Every YouTube Conspiracy Theorist I have ever encountered has been convinced of two things; that they are geniuses and that they and only they know the truth, and that nobody famous ever really dies. So it is with Bowie. The above video posted by Russianvids three days after David Bowie died proclaimed it all a Satanic Illuminati hoax. The use of scattershot numerology, cherry-picking Bible verse, and the assertion that everything that is not Evangelical Christianity is, therefore, part of Satan’s strangle hold on the World all play out perfectly with the lack of logic that “fake deaths” are intentionally staged to “shock the public.”

David Bowie, according to this and other YouTube videos asserting a Satanic Illuminati totalitarian shadow conspiracy, is just another in a long list of famous people whose deaths were a hoax. “John Ritter, as well, supposedly having a previously unknown condition.” The video goes on to give a brief and inaccurate biography of Bowie, saying he was the first musician to “release disco music.” Although Bowie likely relished in his infamy, being misrepresented musically may still have been a bit insulting.

With the death of Alan Rickman soon after, conspiracy theorists jumped at the chance to equate the two as somehow interconnected hoaxes.

Black Star and Nibiru

Two Days before David Bowie’s death, the artist released his last album. Black Star had conspiracy theorist’s buzzing immediately. A month before the release of the album, the title track and music video was released online to the interest of many Bowie fans, and the ire and dismay of his conspiracist haters.

Black Star, the album and the title track, do have some fans within the conspiracist world. ZetaTalk, a website that focuses on the belief that a secret planet, Nibiru, exists and houses a race of reptilian aliens, the Annunaki, went on at length on the subject of Bowie’s death.

The following is a question sent to ZetaTalk regarding Bowie from a visitor to that site (The question was truncated for space).

David Bowie’s death has grabbed the world’s attention. Specifically the last two releases before his death. In The music video ‘Black Star’ a woman finds an adorned skull on the moon, while some sort of planetary eclipse is happening in the background. She then brings the skull back to earth where humans worship it, dancing very strangely, as if the humans are being coerced into dancing. I’m wondering if the Zetas would comment on David Bowie’s death. Specifically, was David Bowie a star child and has he been taken away before the Pole Shift? Was he trying to leave one last message in his last videos ‘Black Star’ and ‘Lazarus’ for remaining star children? In ‘Space Oddity’ Bowie sings the lyrics ‘I’m sitting in a tin can, far above the world’. Do his lyrics represent a physical or metaphysical change?

Zetas, or aliens from the Zeta Reticuli system are purported to speak to the host of the ZetaTalk website, Nancy Leider a.k.a. Ning. Although I did not see any direct quote from the Zetas by Ning in the January 16th 2016 livechat, Ning claimed that David Bowie was “nothing special” and “He was certainly not a Star Child” (phrase often associated with human-alien hybrids or other humans with partial extraterrestrial origin).

Though Ning seemed uninterested in making connection between Bowie’s Black Star and her favorite subjects of coming astronomical cataclysms, and alien life, others have definitely placed their opinions in the ‘Bowie as an alien prophet‘ column. If there is anything that can be said for sure about conspiracy theorists, they are not always in agreement and, in fact, seldom so.

And, of Course, Alex Jones

No conspiracy theory best-of is complete without this for-profit conspiracist. Alex Jones’ InfoWars.com comments on anything and everything, generally garners millions of hits and uses those hit-counts to sell survivalist gimcracks and conspiracy ‘hidden-knowledge’ materials to his viewership. I will not include a link to his website, but will, instead, include a link to his incoherent ramblings about David Bowie after his death. Never classy, Alex Jones will always wait until you are out of the room to slander you.

Well, there’s that … horrible thing.

One last thing.

Not everyone in the conspiracy theory multi-verse felt compelled to make a conspiracy theory or insane claim upon the death of Bowie. UFO Digest did a simple memorial page for Bowie upon his passing, of course they ask ‘Is their life on Mars?’ but, why not? So did he.